


In the Spirit of Men There is No Blood

by heard_a_rumor



Series: In the Spirit of Men There is No Blood [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, King!Ryan, Original Character - Freeform, minecraft au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-03
Updated: 2014-03-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 11:46:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1265344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heard_a_rumor/pseuds/heard_a_rumor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lads are a mysterious and infamous group of criminals who are known for the terror they put into the hearts of the people of Achievement City. King Haywood has been hunting them for years. Quinn Pierce is hiding from the King as well, although for entirely different reasons. When she meets the Lads, they're all pulled into a journey they never could've expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which I Expected More

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello all! This is my first fanfiction I've publicly posted and I'm really excited to share it with the site! I've been a big fan of Rooster Teeth for a while now, so writing this has been a lot of fun. I've never really liked the way Reader! fics were written so I decided to make it an original character deal. Future Ray/OC pairing but I’m still building up to that. I’ll try to work on it whenever I can. (Feel free to message me with ideas/edits/whatever I’m always willing to listen to constructive criticism.)
> 
> TW-Slight misogyny may be noticed, violence, wounds, swears  
> 

A deep rattling woke me from my slumber. I remained frozen for a few seconds longer, momentarily forgetting where I was. It wasn’t until I noticed the leaves strewn about my sleeping bag that I remembered.  
Oh. Right. I’m in a tree.  
And this tree is shaking.  
I carefully unhooked the belts that had kept me from falling during the night and peered down to see what could possibly be causing this disturbance.  
Standing at the bottom of the tree was a knight from Achievement City, who was pounding away at the bark with a hammer. After a few moments he seemed satisfied with his work and turned away, walking back to his horse and riding off in the direction of the metropolis.  
I waited several moments before moving again. Attracting the attention of a knight was not something I was interested in doing. After enough time had passed, I packed up my things and climbed down the tree. Slapped onto the wood was a wanted sign featuring three individuals’ names and faces. I recognized them immediately.  
The Lads.  
Their wanted posters were plastered all around the kingdom, their crimes infamous to all. No one knew their real names. They only knew the names King Haywood had claimed them as. The first picture on the paper was a young man with pale skin and freckles. His blue eyes were set in a sinister glare, and rust colored curls framed his face perfectly. The nickname below him was a perfect way to describe his character; “Mogar”. He was so feared that mothers had begun to tell bedtime stories about him to encourage children to be good. Because if you weren’t “He’ll steal you away to his cave and eat you! And so will his friends!”  
Beside his photo was another with the name “Vav” above it. The picture depicted yet another intense stare except with hazel eyes boring into my skull. His mousy brown hair stuck out at odd angles around his head. However his most defining feature was by far his nose which seemed slightly bent, like someone had landed a punch just hard enough to set the ridge at an angle. People would talk about his sadistic nature and the joy he got out of the pain he delivered, describing his laugh as he would torture his victims.  
And the final photo was of the one and only “BrownMan”. His chocolate brown hair was lightly ruffled, continuing down to form the scruff along his face. His deep brown eyes seemed to watch you, as if plotting your downfall. He was known to all as the leader and brain of The Lads, planning robberies, assassinations, kidnappings, anything they wanted. His strategies were flawless, and ensured only complete success each time.  
Beneath the pictures was a list of the many accusations against them, from treason to murder, all leading up to a reward of $50,000 for each felon. Dead or alive.  
Quickly looking over my shoulder to make sure I was still alone, I ripped the paper from the tree and shoved it into my pack. I wanted to remember their faces.  
***********************************************************************************  
Dusk came with brilliant oranges and purples streaking across the sky. I had just started a fire and was in the middle of roasting a chicken I’d caught earlier, when I heard a cracking come from the woods behind me. I swiveled around, leaping to my feet and pulling a pair of knives from their sheaths. My mind began to calculate how to go about my defense when suddenly the noise stopped. They had seen me. They knew I was here.  
“These knives aren’t just for show.” I warned. “Come any closer and I’ll prove it to you.”  
“We don’t want any trouble miss!”A strangely accented voice shouted from the darkness. So there was more than one.  
“Ok. I’m going to ask you to step into the clearing; when I do, keep your hands up and put your weapons on the ground. Understood?” There was a grumbling before an arrow was shot into the clearing aimed straight for my head. I ducked and rolled away from the shot before throwing the knives towards the space the arrows had come from. A high pitched squeal rang out into the night.  
“Fuck! Gavin!” someone yelped. “You bitch! You sliced his arm open!’  
“He shot first. Keep talking and you’re next. Now do as I asked.” I couldn’t trust these guys for shit now. I pulled out another pair of knives and waited.  
“Michael,” a new voice muttered from the brush, “We have no choice.” There as a sigh before three men stepped out into the dying light, their hands raised above their heads.  
“Oh my God…” The Lads had just surrendered themselves to me.  
Each was there, their faces ones of embarrassment and lost pride. Mogar, who looked like he wanted to slit my throat, Vav, who I had most definitely sliced through the arm and was wincing in pain, and BrownMan, who seemed more surprised than anything else.  
“What… How… Holy shit.” I stammered. Some of the most feared villains of the kingdom were now my captives. I was almost disappointed in them. I had expected better.


	2. In Which I Begin to Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lads are a mysterious and infamous group of criminals who are known for the terror they put into the hearts of the people of Achievement City. King Haywood has been hunting them for years. Quinn Pierce is hiding from the King as well, although for entirely different reasons. When she meets the Lads, they all go on a journey they never could have expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter right off the bat. I'm almost done with the third chapter so expect that soon-ish. Enjoy!  
> Warnings: swearing, slight misogyny, wounds, kinda gore, threats  
> 

“Oh, so she knows us then. Great.” groaned Mogar. Based on what BrownMan had called him I figured his real name must be Michael. He had a long-sword at his feet, slightly damaged from who knows how many battles. At who I assumed to be Gavin’s feet was his bow and quiver of arrows, spots of his own blood dotted here and there along it. And at BrownMan’s feet was a pickax, its tip slightly blunt. The very sight of it made me grateful for my success in their unexpected capture.  
I pulled some rope out of my bag and began to tie their hands behind their backs, except for Gavin. I laid him down in the grass, deciding to take care of his wound first to prevent further blood loss. Tears pricked his eyes from the pain, and I couldn’t help but feel guilt over doing this to him. Yet, I’d really had no choice in the matter.  
“This will need major treatment…” I sighed to myself. Gavin whimpered intermittently as I worked on his arm. The cut was almost an inch thick, any farther and the bone would be visible. After washing off the excess blood, I was using a mixture of honey and crushed bay leaves to prevent bacterial spread, when the man formally known as Mogar spoke up for what would not be the first time.  
"Wait, so why are you helping him? He just shot an arrow at you. And you were the one who wounded him in the first place." He looked genuinely confused, and for a moment, I didn’t know the answer. Why did I care? He had just attacked me after all. Eventually the answer struck me.  
"I don’t want his death on my shoulders."  
BrownMan lifted his head at this and watched me intensely, reminding me of his appearance in the wanted poster.  
"People tend to ignore that weight nowadays. Never expected you to be so different." He mused to himself.  
"I’ve seen enough in my life to appreciate life’s presence." I said bluntly. Unwanted memories began to swim though my head. In order to forget their presence I returned to the task at hand.  
I used old clean shirts to wrap Gavin’s arm, tight enough to keep the necessary pressure. I assured he was still relatively comfortable while I did so, as too much restriction could inhibit circulation all together.  
Just as I was finishing up my work, Michael peeped up again. “How do you know this shit anyways?” Michael asked, seeming almost dumbfounded by my work.  
“I just had a good tutor, that’s all…” I said bluntly. Yet again the memories pushed from the back of my mind, and yet again I pushed back.  
Michael nodded, yet seemed to want to dig further, but BrownMan gave him a nudge with his arm and a shake of his head. I silently thanked him for doing so.  
After ensuring that Gavin was wrapped up well and comfortable I turned back to the others.  
“Ok boys, spread your legs.” This wasn’t going to be fun.  
“W-what? You’re kidding right?” Michael asked. BrownMan’s eyes went wide.  
“Unfortunately no. I need to check you don’t have any other weapons on you and this is the only way to do so. Sorry.”  
Starting with Michael, I began the search, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. With every pat was a cringe, with the occasional shout of distaste. While his chest had nothing, I did find a dagger strapped to the outside of his thigh, as well as a vial of what I deduced was enough cyanide to kill a man. Inside his right boot was a tightly wrapped knife, no bigger than a scalpel, dried blood still left on the blade.  
“You guys must have been busy.” I commented, moving onto BrownMan. Michael relaxed a bit, muttering in response “You have no idea.”  
BrownMan remained silent throughout most of the search, making no noise or comment. That is until I found a lump in his jacket. He went stiff and his face became sickly pale.  
“Don’t touch that.” He hissed. I paused in shock from his response before becoming suspicious.  
“I need to make sure it’s not dangerous.” I retorted, reaching into the pocket.  
“It’s nothing dangerous, ok? Leave it.” His voice was a growl now, surprising Michael as well.  
“Ray, what’s wrong? What is that?” Michael questioned, but BrownMan, finally named as Ray, remained silent. Michael’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.  
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. I pulled out the object carefully and hid it from the others view.  
What I found I never would have expected. In my hands was a clear ball holding the head of a small dried rose. The petals had gone from what must have originally been a very deep red to a dull maroon with hints of brown on their tips. I simply stared at it for a moment, perplexed, before looking at Ray again.  
He watched me with dark eyes, filled with anger. But there was something soft in his eyes as well. He almost looked sad. I placed the ball back in his pocket almost sheepishly before continuing my search, then moving onto Gavin, still laying on the ground.  
In total the men had been carrying three daggers, five varieties of poison, a slingshot, an ax in one of Ray’s bags, Michael’s long-sword, Gavin’s bow and arrows, Ray’s pickax, and some explosives in a compartment in Gavin’s quiver. I packed their things away into one large bag, throwing it over my shoulder and hooked up Michael to mine, which held all my food and medicines.  
“Wow, you’ve got a lot of strength for a chick.” Michael commented, staring at the weapons bag.  
Something in me snapped at the word. I pulled a knife from one of my sheaths and held it to his jugular. “Please Michael, don’t use that word.” My knife inched closer to his skin. “It’s positively insulting to women.” I hissed. Sexism was not something I tolerated well.  
“U-uh, sorry miss. I didn’t mean to…” he stuttered, trying to think of a proper response. Ray and Gavin watched anxiously, their eyes focused on the tip of the blade. I dropped the knife from his throat and slid it back into its holder.  
“No problem, just remember not to use it again.” I said as I smiled at him. He let out a breath and tried to control the slight shaking in his hands.  
I turned to the other two. “There’s a cave nearby. I’ve rested there when I’m not up to climbing trees for sleep. We can rest there for a few nights.”  
I approached Gavin, who’d finally managed to stand up for a long period of time. “Will you be able to walk or do you need to be carried?” I asked, quickly examining his wound again.  
“I-I should be ok. Might need someone to lean on from time to time though.” He admitted.  
“That’s fine. I’ll have you walk next to Ray so he can support you when you need it. That alright Ray?” I asked. He nodded in response.  
“Perfect.”  
And so our walk began, us taking pauses every couple hundred feet or so to let Gavin rest. We were only about a mile out so the walk wasn’t long by any stretch of the word. About halfway there Michael spoke up yet again.  
“So what are you planning on doing with us? Obviously not kill us if you want to heal Gavin.” He mused.  
I remained focused on getting to the cave, not turning to answer him, “I’m not sure yet. Can’t really let you go since there’s no way I can trust you won’t come back to kill me. So for now, you’re gonna be under my watch. Besides,” I raised my head to look Michael in the eye. “You leave, and this wound will get infected. And that’s a promise. And if it gets infected, he may get blood poisoning. And die.” All three of them got wide eyes at the thought.  
“So, if you want him to live, you’ll have to stick around so I can fix him up. I have medical training. I can make sure it won’t get to that stage.”  
"Then when will you let us out of these ropes?" Michael asked. "We can’t stay like this!"  
I mulled the question over carefully. “When I deem you all trust able.”  
"So what, you already trust Gavin? He isn’t tied up." He whined. I decided he got on my nerves a little.  
"Well Michael, due to rapid blood loss he can barely stand without having someone help him. So I doubt he’s going to be able to successfully take me out for a while. He may not even be able to use a bow properly again.” Oh shit. The moment I said it I felt regret. Gavin’s face fell dramatically.  
"R-really? He said weakly. The others stared at me with a mixture of sadness and anger, probably for upsetting him so.  
"It’s a very slim chance Gavin. With the treatment, the possibility drops very low. And with proper training, you’ll be back on track." I really did have faith in him. But I knew there was no possibility if he thought there wasn’t any point to trying.  
“I’m sorry Gavin. I didn’t mean to scare you. You’ll be fine, it just takes effort ok?” He nodded, biting his lip, taking a few deep breaths.  
Gavin, even after his attempted murder, had begun to grow on me. I watched for a bit to make sure he wasn’t tired out from the emotions he’d experienced. When I knew he was ok, we continued on.  
About twenty minutes later we had reached the cave. I laid out their sleeping bags for each of them and switched out the bandages on Gavin’s wound. Each person was given some left over chicken I’d hunted earlier for dinner, as well as fresh water from a nearby stream.  
“Alright boys, I’ll be back in the morning. Sleep well; Gavin, you especially. Good night.”  
“‘Night” they said unanimously. They seemed to stare at me as I walked out, sleeping bag and weapons bag in hand. I hid the weapons in a nearby bush before climbing up a maple tree. I had a perfect view of both the bag and the cave opening. After securing myself on a branch I took one last glance towards the cave opening. I could’ve sworn I saw someone there, looking at me. Someone with dark eyes. Yet as I watched the opening, the eyes seemed to fade away. And with that I succumbed to the exhaustion.


	3. In Which a Union is Formed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is! Chapter three, you were a bitch to write. 
> 
> TW: Gore, swears

I awoke by the light of the dawn. A sunrise greeted me, with brilliant oranges and pinks streaming across the sky. I was startled by a noise before realizing it was my own stomach. I decided the first thing on my agenda (after checking up on the Lads) was to get some food.  
I took a bit of a tumble down the tree, landing in a clump. I cringed a bit from the embarrassment, then continued on to the cave, hoping the boys were still asleep and hadn’t noticed.  
Walking in I was relieved to find that all three seemed fast asleep. Michael had a bit of drool hanging off his lip, with a pool of it having accumulated under him on the cave floor. Gavin was so peaceful I had to check his pulse to ensure he was still alive. However just as I was letting his wrist go, I heard a deep breathing behind me, the panting of someone in panic. I turned to find Ray, eyes still closed writhing on the ground, as if he were in pain. His head tossed from side to side, and his whole body shook with vigor. I ran to him, taking his head in my hands trying to keep him from smacking it against the floor. His face was a mess of tears and sweat, each mixing with the other.  
“Ray,” I called softly. “Ray, I need you to wake up. You’re having a night terror. Please get up.” His shaking and writhing decreased. His let out a soft whimper, his whole body tense.  
“Ray please.” I asked again, doubting he could even hear me. Yet in a few seconds his eyes were open, and his body became mostly limp. He only stared ahead for a bit, before turning his attention to me.  
“I need you to take deep breaths OK Ray?” He complied, taking several big gulps of air. I grabbed a nearby rag and wiped his face, cleaning off the excess moisture.  
“Thank you,” he murmured. He became almost embarrassed. A blush grew on his cheeks, and his eyes seemed enraptured in a mixture of sorrow and anxiety.  
“How long have you had these?” I asked quietly. The others were still sleeping, which was surprising considering the noise Ray had been making moments earlier.  
“A long time.” He said bluntly, his composure coming back to him slowly. But I didn’t want it to come back just yet. I wanted to learn about this mysterious character. This could’ve been my last chance.  
“Tell me about them.” He looked at me, guarded. “It will probably help a little. Have you talked to anyone about them before?”  
“No. And they sleep through anything so they’d never know.” He sighed, looking at the boys whose snores remained uninterrupted.  
“Well, what are your dreams about?” I inquired. His eyes transitioned, looking at nothing but air once more.  
“The past.” he whispered, almost to himself.  
“And what about the past?” I asked eagerly. The composure suddenly reappeared. His eyes dropped and became clouded once more.  
“Nothing. Not worth talking about.” His facade appeared once more. But I couldn’t accept it. I continued to push him.  
“It will help if you talk Ray. Who is it about? Family? Friends?” I pushed, not anticipating the anger I was about to face.  
Ray leaned in, his nose barely grazing mine. His eyes seemed to burn with anger, yet I couldn’t look away from them.  
“Leave it be.” he growled. I didn’t move though. In fact I couldn’t. A fight or flight reaction was rising in me but I was transfixed by this perplexing man.  
I sat in silence watching for a few moments before he let out a final roar, “I said, leave it be!”  
The boys woke from the shout almost immediately, but I was long gone before I could hear them speak. I ran out the cave and into a nearby tree, then jumped from one to the other till i was far enough away that I could collect myself.  
My mind was swimming with an almost anxious confusion. Why had I froze? Why wasn’t I at least able to respond? I hadn’t wanted to move away from him. In fact being so near him was an incredibly comforting feeling. Perhaps this was simply a break in my sanity. I’d expected one eventually considering the amount of time I’d spent alone in the woods. Being around people after such a long time can do this kinds of things to you. Right?  
I looked out into the woods in thought, till I saw a rabbit nibbling on a patch of grass a few meters away. Without a thought I pitched a knife towards it, the animal falling to its side. I decided on hunting as a distraction.  
……  
After about an hour I’d caught a litany of creatures that could easily hold the boys and I off for another week or so. The distraction was nice to have, but I knew I couldn’t put off going back any longer. I headed back to the cave, leisurely at first, until I heard a scream tear through the otherwise peaceful morning air.  
“Girl! Girl, where are you? Help! Please help us!” I recognized Michael’s voice, although I’d never heard him sound like this. His voice was urgent, fearful, desperate.  
I sprinted to the cave, knives out and ready. When I reached the opening of the cave I recognized the reason Michael had cried out.  
A horde of zombies had found the cave, and were headed straight for the boys. With their hands tied they were helpless, Michael and Ray trying to kick out at the creatures. Behind them I saw a limp body, stretched lazily across a sleeping bag. Gavin.  
Before heading straight into the action I opened the weapons bag, grabbing the weapons I’d found Ray and Michael wielding when I’d first met them, even snatching Gavin's bow and arrows should he wake up.  
I sized up the situation as I went through the bag. The left side of the horde had a significantly lower amount of zombies, so if I went through there I could get to the boys much faster and get them their weapons. I couldn’t take all these cretin on my own.  
I circled the group, most of which hadn’t noticed me. I moved to the left, watching the opening. I waited just a few seconds more before finding the perfect opening. Seeing it, I launched myself into the fray, slicing them apart, pushing through all the way.  
Zombies fell to the ground all around me, necks and stomachs sliced open with each. Finally, the last undead between me and the boys collapsed. I didn’t speak, only cut their binds, before handing them their weapons. They looked at them in confusion for a moment, like they hadn’t expected to see them ever again. Then they looked up at me and each gave me a nod. Tossing Gavin’s bow and arrows to his still limp form, we got into battle positions.  
Michael looked at his longsword like an old friend, excited at the idea of playing with it once more. Ray felt the pickaxe in his hands for a moment, giving a few practice swings, before smiling. I wiped the leftover blood from my blades, building up my strength. The other two looked to me once more, waiting.  
“Take ‘em down.”  
What began was a dance of epic proportions. The sounds of swings and stabs and slices reverberated off the cave walls, along with the occasional grunt of effort. The undead dropped into piles on the floor letting out small groans as they fell. From the corner of my eye I could see Michael, ripping through line after line of the terrors barely breaking a sweat, eyes a fire with what could only be described as pure joy. On my opposite side I could see about three zombies run through with Ray’s pickaxe at once, all of them in the skulls. With another swing he had three more stuck onto its opposite side. He shoved the cretins off the ends of the axe, then began the process again, swinging and stabbing. I stopped watching the other two so that I could focus. Jumping onto the nearest cretin’s shoulders while his back was turned, I began jumping from zombie to zombie, slicing each ones neck as I went, occasionally jabbing out from my perches to hit one shuffling close by. While working my way to the front of the group, I looked back at the sound of a frustrated growl. Sitting up on his sleeping bag was Gavin, eyes still heavy from his recent unconsciousness, trying to operate his bow. His winces of pain showed that he wasn’t totally healed yet, as did his attempts, which were quite pitiful to say the least. I was shaken back to my current situation when the zombie I was riding attempted to buck me off. I stabbed my dagger into his skull, then leaped to the next victim.  
Within about five minutes, the floor was littered with corpses, and the final undead joined them with a dash of Michael’s sword.  
We all stood there for a moment, or in Gavin’s case sat, until we could catch our breaths. Then, without speaking, we each began to drag the bodies outside. Gavin stood up to help, but I stopped him, seeing his bandage bleeding though again. He looked like he was about to argue, but he seemed to be hit with a wave of lightheadedness and dropped back to the ground.  
When most of the bodies were out of the cave, we found a clearing close by and carried them there. I pulled out a piece of iron and flint and handed it to Ray. He nodded, but as I turned away he grabbed my wrist. I was surprised by the sudden touch and froze again, much like I had earlier. He looked me in the eyes and apologized wordlessly. His face seemed a mix of shame and something else that I couldn’t quite grasp. Something that made my face feel very warm. I nodded to him, accepting his apology. He gave my wrist a slight squeeze, and turned away, beginning to work on the fire. I turned away as well, deciding to head back to change out Gavin’s bandages. I glanced behind me once more. Ray, who seemed to have been watching me, turned away quickly.  
………  
After switching out Gavin’s bandages I led him to the area we had decided on to burn the last of the corpses. I brought the animals I’d caught earlier and fashioned stakes to cook them on.  
As I was sharpening the tip of the final stake, I felt a shadow fall over me. I looked up.  
Michael and Ray stood above me, looking slightly uncomfortable. Ray gave Michael a jab, which made Michael squeak from surprise.  
“U-uh, hey, so thanks for saving us earlier.” he stuttered, almost embarrassed.  
I gave a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. You guys are starting to grow on me.” I answered, not expecting a thank you.  
Michael and Ray smiled a bit. “You too.” said Michael. “By the way, we had a question…”  
I nodded, interested. Michael looked to Ray, as if for guidance, but Ray simply took a half step back, signaling for him to continue on his own. Michael glared but continued.  
“Well, we still don’t really know your name… Considering you just saved our asses, we felt it was kinda necessary.” Michael’s hand began to rub the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable.  
I chuckled a bit. They were right. But I didn’t feel comfortable telling them everything yet. “You can call me Q.” I chirped. That would work.  
The boys smiled. “OK.” Michael nodded, accepting.  
It was Ray’s turn to speak up. “A-and we also figured you might want our weapons back… I mean you kinda forgot to take them…” He and Michael both pulled their weapons from behind them, holding them out to me. This was even more unexpected.  
I simply stared at them for a moment. When I didn’t respond, they looked to each other again, and back to me.  
“Oh!” Michael exclaimed, putting down his weapon and holding his wrists out, Ray following suit.  
They were allowing me to tie their wrists again.  
I sat there a few more moments before smiling again. I shook my head.  
“No, that's OK. I trust you both.”


	4. In Which I Am Hunted

It’s been two weeks since I first met the Lads. I haven’t tied their wrists since the zombie incident, and so far I wasn’t regretting it. The boys were all very helpful. I managed to teach Michael and Ray how to change Gavin’s bandages, which they were very efficient in, and they often helped me with hunting as well. Each of us worked with Gavin on his archery, practicing for hours on end until he either got too tired or frustrated to continue. He was very determined, and I was now positive that he would recover his former talent. I didn’t tell him so out of concern for him becoming overconfident about the idea.

The morning started just as every other morning had. I now slept in the cave with them however, and we had decided on having someone keep watch throughout the night to avoid another unwanted interaction with the creatures of the forest. Last night had been half Michael, half Gavin, the two switching off around two A.M.

Looking through our game bag, I came to a slightly aggravating realization. We were out of food. I sighed, hearing my stomach rumble in hunger. I looked around the room, figuring out who I should take with me for help.

Michael was still awake from his watch, very drowsy. He muttered a greeting to me before collapsing in his sleeping bag, grateful for someone else being awake so he could rest. Gavin, a few feet away from him, was fast asleep, curled up in his sleeping bag. His eyes shot around behind his eyelids, obviously in a dream. I vaguely wondered if he would remember it when he woke up. Finally I saw Ray, who seemed to be stirring from his sleep. He lifted his head slowly, looking around the room for a moment before seeing me.

“Morning.” I greeted. He let out a mumble, something along the lines of “Murnenm.” before stretching, making a few snaps with his back.

“We need to go hunting.” I told him, standing up to go over to our weapons bag. He answered in a drawn out moan, obviously not keen on the idea of physical activity so early in the morning.

“It’s not my fault we don’t have breakfast.” I retorted. “If I remember correctly you ate a whole rabbit on your own last night, and went back for the squirrel as a midnight snack.” I smirked at him, teasing. “I need someone to go with me and the other two are definitely not in prime condition for it.”

“Wah bou wachin tha caarve?” he slurred. It took me a second to translate what he’d said.

“We won’t go too far. Every hour or so we’ll check back to make sure nothings going wrong. It’ll be fine.” I smiled, tossing him his covered pickaxe. He caught it deftly, apparently accepting my instructions.

We went out, the sunrise almost completely past, but still leaving the sky a soft orange, hints of red dashing here and there. Birds were beginning to wake up from the night before. A mourning dove’s call echoed out in the chill air. We trekked out about a half mile before finding a creek with a litany of wildlife milling about. We split up, him taking some of the larger prey, while I went for squirrels and rabbits.

Ray and I had gained a fairly enjoyable coexistence with each other in these last few weeks. We were comfortable around each other, friendly, the initial awkward air around us eventually dissolving. His personality was far different from what I’d originally believed. Instead of only strict and intense, he had a streak of sweetness in him. He also had an incredible funny bone in him, and he could make me laugh more than anyone else I’d ever met. However, these things ended up spurring up the feelings I’d felt the day he’d grabbed my hand, and they came regularly. The ones where no matter what he said or did I couldn’t even attempt moving away from him. I ignored these feelings as much as I could, scared of what the implications of them could mean.

After about after a little less than an hour, we reconvened, counting what we’d caught so far.

“Let’s see… I have about five squirrels, three rabbits, and a fox. You?”

Ray peered into his bag. “Uh… One deer, some kind of cat, and a few turkeys.”

I smiled. “Well, looks like we’ll be eating well for quite a while.” We gathered our kills, cleaning off our weapons as we went.

As we were heading back I decided to have a little fun.

“So only four kills? You’re losing your snuff Narvaez.” I teased, laughing. He shot me a grin, before giving me a light shove.

“Whatever, tiny.” he poked, rolling his eyes. I gave him another retaliating shove. The pushing continued and escalated, until we were full on sparring. I grinned as we danced, daring him, and he returned the smirk gladly. While his back was turned in a spin I ducked to the ground, my leg hooking around his right ankle and bringing him to the ground. But he coordinated his fall perfectly, twisting around, pushing me onto my back, and positioning his hands and knees so that he was straddling me. I pushed him onto his back and we began to roll, fighting to be on top.

After a few moments, I gained the upper hand, fixing his hips in a position where he couldn’t roll any farther. He attempted to twist once more before resigning into submission, laughing as he did. I laughed with him, chastising him for losing so quickly.

He responded simply; “Well, no one stands a chance against you.”

I paused. That feeling had returned. That strange, anxious, bubbly feeling had reared its head in my chest, making me become aware of our closeness. Ray seemed to as well, a blush spreading across his scruffy cheeks.

We sat like this for a moment. Neither of us moved, perhaps afraid to. Yet the feeling in my stomach began to build, and before I realized it, I was moving closer to him. He followed my move, leaning in as well. The wall he’d kept up for so long had disappeared, his eyes never leaving mine.

His hand went to my arm, moving slowly towards my back. He was still coming closer, his face now only inches from mine. He glanced between my lips and my eyes, asking permission. I gave a slight nod. He began to lean in the last few inches, our eyes closing, apprehension building.

Snap.

We leap to our feet, sprinting into a nearby tree. I go up first, grabbing hold of a branch and securing myself before pulling him up along with me. We climbed a bit higher, ensuring we were unseeable, and waited. I vaguely noticed Ray’s arm snaking around my waist, holding me close to him. Protecting.

A rustle began, coming from the same area we’d been alerted to a moment before. Soon enough a soldier walked out from the brush, scratching his bold red beard. The man, who seemed strangely familiar, staggered into the clearing, sighing from boredom and exhaustion. From a bag at his side, he pulled a piece of paper and a nail, and sloppily centered the page on a tree. He hammered away at the nail for a few moments, lazily, before stepping back, sighing once more and walking back in the direction he came.

Ray and I remained where we were for a moment. After enough time passed, we came to our senses, realizing first off that Ray’s arms were still around me, and second that I was leaning into him, folding into his chest. We awkwardly jerked away from each other, feeling uncomfortable from the stance. We shimmied down the tree, watching for any chance of the depressed bearded man’s return.

When we reached the ground we stayed back from the paper for a moment, nervous. Finally Ray sighed and approached it his back turned to me.

“W-what?” he gasped. He took a step back from the paper, looked to me, then back to the paper.

“Q,” he turned to me once more. “I-it’s…” He struggled to speak simply staring at me.

“Ray, what’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. What could scare him like this?

He pointed to the paper, then ripped the sheet from the tree and passed it to me.

I suddenly understood.

It was me.


End file.
